Making 1% Better a Little Better
A phrase oft used by athletes is our key to a better life (with a caveat)
“When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur... Don't look for the quick, big improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That's the only way it happens- and when it happens, it lasts.”
―John Wooden
To be the best version of ourselves we need to want to be better. If we can identify small things that we want to improve we can elevate ourselves. Maybe its spending more meaningful time with others or doing an assignment that you were putting off. Regardless of who you are, you can find things that you can improve. A spirit of constant improvement helps us achieve the good life Aristotle dreamt of and helps create a better life for those close to you. The appeal of the philosophy to become “1% better everyday” is clear, its praxis is often opaque.
In sports, this philosophy is evident to us. If you can lift a little bit more each day you will eventually be able to lift a great deal. Anyone who has gotten into lifting knows that the 2.5 lb weights are the blood relative of self-improvement. Sports are the most appealing example because the results are so tangible. In my own life I recently had to go from basically never running to completing a 3 mile run for time. I did not attempt the 3 mile run the first day, I did not even do the 1 mile run well. I had to build my physical and mental strength over months just to get to the place where I feel like I am poised to reach the times I want.
If I were to rant about sports or even the easily quantifiable things in life this article would be lost in the annals of Google. The image for this article, Kaizen, is one of many versions of how to become better constantly. This philosophy is not new or groundbreaking per se, but if we really dig into the effects of the mindset and how it plays out in our lives it can be utilized most effectively. The life coaches who parrot the “1% better every day” motto generally give the same schtick (and perhaps I will fall into this trap as well). Often, they are far too numerical. Worse, they gloss over the massive amount of failure necessary to arrive at a place where this maxim becomes second nature.
Goals are critical to becoming better everyday but they need to be seen as long term accomplishments. Too often, this philosophy does not allow for any lapses. Optimally, someone can improve every single day but in reality there will be ups and downs. If you punish yourself too harshly for a single failure then you are more likely to abandon the entire endeavor. How many diets end because someone wants to escape the constant guilt of a bad meal? A more practical approach may view it as, “Last week I had 2 cheat meals, this week I only had 1.” When we contextualize our performance in any goal we can then see our improvement.
A popular Confucius quote can help us immensely, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” Do what is necessary to stick to your goals. Understand that there will be days where you fail. These failures our are opportunities to reflect on the successful endeavors. Note how often you failed in the past and see how little you fail now. Reflect on something you have successfully improved or something you have become masterful at. Now think of what you considered a failure when you first started. Cherish the moment and realize how far you have come and think to how far you will go. In my running example, this becomes easily quantifiable. I saw not finishing the run as a failure, then a time above 23 minutes as a failure, and now a time above 21 minutes and soon it will be a time above 20 minutes. When I see how far I have come, I am encouraged by how much more progress I am capable of.
If we antagonize ourselves we will see our goals as wholly unattainable. Just like John Wooden said, these changes will become a permanent part of you if you can stick with it. You can only have these positive changes if you are able to understand that your success story will follow a grand arc, not a linear path.